Summer School 2007

THEORETICAL Theoretical research spans most of the central topics of modern physics. The department has decades-old traditions of excellence and leadership in these core areas of fundamental physics and it is also rapidly building strength in newer areas, such as theoretical biology. In the newer areas, interaction between Physics and other departments is critical and major university-supported interdisciplinary initiatives provide a strong framework for this cooperation. There is also productive interaction between theorists in the department and those at the nearby Institute for Advanced Studies, even though there is no formal connection between these institutions High Energy Theory Group Cosmology Theoretical Condensed Matter Mathematical Physics Theoretical Biophysics High Energy Theory Group The high energy theory group works on quantum field theory, particle phenomenology and cosmology, string theory and quantum gravity models in various dimensions, and dualities between gauge theories and strings. Some members of the group are also interested in applications of quantum field theory to problems in statistical mechanics and the theory of turbulence. Top..... Cosmology The cosmology theory group uses astrophysical, particle physics and superstring theory combined with observations to study gravitation and the origin, composition and evolution of our universe. Top..... Theoretical Condensed Matter The theoretical condensed matter group works on quantum many-body theory of systems involving strong correlations and/or disorder, statistical mechanics, biological systems and systems far from equilibrium Top..... Mathematical Physics The mathematical physics group is concerned with problems in statistical mechanics, atomic and molecular physics, quantum field theory, and, in general, with the mathematical foundations of theoretical physics. Top..... Theoretical Biophysics The theoretical biophysicists work on problems in statistical mechanics and information theory that arise in studying nervous systems, gene expression networks, the organization of genomes and the mechanisms of evolution. Top..... EXPERIMENTAL High Energy Experimental Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics Experimental Condensed Matter Physics Experimental Research in the Gravity Group Atomic Biological Physics High Energy Experimental Experiments in High-Energy Particle Physics are directed towards understanding the fundamental interactions and particle structures at extremely small distances. The apparatus is designed and constructed in the physics shops in Jadwin Hall or at the Elementary Particles Laboratory a block away, which contains special facilities for the fabrication of detectors. The experiments are performed at large national and international laboratories, which currently include CERN, Switzerland; Fermilab, Illinois; KEK, Japan and SLAC, California. The data are then analyzed at Princeton. Top..... Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics The Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics group is active in experimental studies of solar neutrinos and dark matter. The goal of the solar neutrino program is to explore neutrino oscillations and solar processes through a measurement of the low energy 7Be neutrino. Neutrinos will be detected with the Borexino liquid scintillation detector located in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory in Italy. The Dark Matter search is designed to detect WIMPs in our galaxy by their collisions with xenon nuclei, in a low-background liquid xenon scintillation and ionization detector known as XENON. Top..... Experimental Condensed Matter Physics Research in the Condensed-Matter Physics group seeks to understand electronic behavior in novel low-dimensional solids in which interaction and correlation effects are dominant. Problems investigated have included the Fractional and Integer Quantum Hall effects, high-temperature superconductivity, Kondo effect in quantum dots, spin-density-wave states in organic conductors, highly-frustrated quantum-spin systems, and novel excitations in low-dimensional magnetic systems. The research involves close collaborations between experimentalists and theorists, as well as with faculty in the Chemistry and Electrical Engineering Departments. Experimental groups are also engaged in researching novel patterning techniques using diblock copolymers (with faculty in Chemical Engineering), and techniques for single-molecule detection and separation of biological molecules (with Molecular Biology and the Genomics Center). Top..... Experimental Research in the Gravity Group Experimental research in the Gravity Group focuses on observational cosmology and on astronomical tests of general relativity. In recent years the group has been especially active in establishing and testing the standard model of cosmology. The experimental focus has been on studies of the cosmic microwave background. Top..... Atomic Research in Atomic physics is primarily focused on spin-polarized gases, liquids, and solids, on their properties, interactions, and a wide range of applications. Among applications currently being developed are searches for violation of CP symmetry beyond the Standard Model, tests of Lorentz invariance, development of miniature atomic clocks, ultra-sensitive atomic magnetometers, and new biomedical techniques, such as lung imaging and mapping of the magnetic fields generated by the brain. Top..... Biological Physics Biological physics spans a huge range of subjects, from neurobiology to genomics to fundamentals of protein action. Princeton has strengths in nearly all areas of modern biological physics. Many faculty with a strong physics background who are involved in biological physics are not solely in the Physics Department but have joint appointments with other departments or are completely in other Departments. There is a strong community spirit to biological physics amongst these departments in spite of the vast range of subjects being studied. Top.....